WWYD? Fire Walls
This photo is a great illustration of a problem that has come up before, and I don't have a good answer. What solutions have you seen for double pairs of fire doors like this? WWYD?
ICC 500 – Fire Doors
Here's a little quiz question...this one caught me by surprise the first time I noticed it: Besides a communicating door between hotel rooms, where might you find a fire door that is not required to be self-closing or automatic-closing?
WW: Hotel Fire Doors
Remember last month when I mentioned that I might question the condition of a restaurant's kitchen based on their doors and hardware? Well, the same goes for hotels, and these Wordless Wednesday photos of my hotel's fire doors from last week's trip are a compelling example.
Update: Labels on Fire Door Assembly Components
Back in 2016 (where does the time go??), I answered a Quick Question: Does every component of a fire door assembly have to be listed/labeled? Today's post includes some updated information found in the enhanced content for NFPA 80.
Construction Specifier: Fire door safety: How can specifiers help?
Specifiers are involved during the construction process—not throughout the life of the building, but there are many ways the choices made during the specification process can affect the durability and function of fire door assemblies for years to come.
DOIT: Processes and Products for Fire Door Gap Mitigation
After I posted my Decoded article about fire door clearance, I found out that Hal Kelton of DOORDATA Solutions is presenting a webinar TOMORROW (Wednesday) on how to mitigate problems with fire door gaps! Here's the info...
Decoded: Allowable Clearances for Fire Door Assemblies
My next Decoded article addresses a recent study on clearances for fire door assemblies - the results of the testing may surprise you. Please share any input or questions before the article goes to print!
Listen-In Video Lesson: Fire Door Inspections
I get a lot of requests for training on fire door assembly inspection, and I just realized that one of my coworker Jeff Tock's sessions was recorded and made available on YouTube! You can check it out in today's post.
WWYD? Auxiliary Fire Pin for LBR Devices
Last week, I received some photos of a pair of fire doors with LBR fire exit hardware installed without the auxiliary fire pin. Apparently the door manufacturer's listings did not require the pin, but the hardware listings do. WWYD?
Bronx Fire Model
When a good teaching tool comes along, I get really excited. Especially when the resource is shared in the mainstream media, so it's readily available to people outside of the door and hardware industry. Please share this widely.
July Training – Last-Minute Announcement!
Because of the holiday weekend and the Webinar Wednesday sessions scheduled for the first week of the month, this is a last-minute notification of the online training available TOMORROW - I hope some of you can make it!
Last Day!
After writing countless times about fire doors needing to close and latch, and hearing about the impact of open fire doors during a Bronx apartment fire earlier this year, seeing a stairwell fire door permanently prevented from closing is just too much.
QQ: Fire Door Alterations
A quick question came up yesterday during a code update class, as I was talking about a change to NFPA 80: Can a rectangular or oblong hole be prepped in an existing fire door in the field?
Update – Temperature Rise Doors – WWYD?
Last week I received an email from an architect, asking if I would update a post from 2009. Naturally, I was curious about how this old information was being used.
QQ: Fire Exits vs. Fire Doors
Today's Quick Question comes up frequently (twice in the last week!), and it's an important concept to understand: Is a fire exit the same as a fire door? Are the code requirements for each of these openings the same?
Facility Executive: Fire Doors And Compliance In Multi-Family Facilities
In this Q&A feature with Facility Executive, I offer educated insight around the importance of fire doors in multifamily facilities, illustrating the impact with real-world examples, referencing codes and offering tips to facility managers to ensure compliance.
WW: This.
I just received this Wordless Wednesday photo from Allison Berejka of Allegion, and I'm beyond wordless. This is a stairwell fire door in a New York City apartment building, and it will serve no purpose if a fire occurs.
Closer Covers on Fire Doors – Revisited
A while back, I posted a Quick Question about whether a missing closer cover on a fire door assembly should be noted as a deficiency during a fire door inspection. There is finally an official answer!
Updated: Decoded Course
My Decoded course has been taken thousands of times on-demand, along with countless attendees who have participated in live Decoded classes taught by my Allegion coworkers. I just updated all 4 classes and they're ready to go!
QQ: Conflicts in the Codes and Standards
Today's Quick Question is a good one...When a specific requirement stated in a referenced standard is in conflict with what is allowed by the code that is referencing the standard, which requirement applies?
April Training
Webinar Wednesdays continue, along with a new Security in 30 session coming up this month! Electrified hardware, hollow metal doors and frames, fire doors, panic hardware, and a Security in 30 on some important health care research!
WW: Why we need fire door inspections.
There are millions - yes, MILLIONS - of existing fire door assemblies that have been modified or damaged, or that have not been maintained properly. The only way to find them and fix them is to enforce the code requirements for fire door inspections. What's the hold up?
In wake of Bronx fire, NYC mayor signs executive order
Last week, NYC Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order that strengthens fire safety enforcement and outreach in the city. In addition, proposed city council legislation was filed that would increase penalties for non-compliant doors.
QQ: Louvers in Fire Doors
I've been asked today's quick question three times in the last two weeks, so I have updated the post with the references from the current codes. Is it acceptable by code to install a louver (fusible link or other type) in a fire door?
News 4: Over 100 building violations found after fire
With the number of apartments in a metropolis like New York City, and the prevalence of fires in multifamily buildings, how are code officials ever going to get a handle on the non-code-compliant conditions?
FF: Laundry Room Fire
Whether it's a smoking dryer in the laundry room or something more serious, fire door assemblies play a very important role in a building's fire protection system - even if most people don't realize it. Another fire door win!
In rush to finish MSY, was the airport properly fire-proofed?
This story from WWLTV does a great job of illustrating the importance of compartmentalizing a building for fire protection. It focuses on the firestopping at the new MSY airport in New Orleans, and discusses the potential results of voids that are not code-compliant.
FF: A Little (too much) Off the Side
There was a time when trimming doors in the field was common. With most doors now arriving prefit, prebeveled, and premachined from the manufacturer, they should not need to be undersized further in the field.
School Security: Know Better, Do Better
I have to admit...I was very disappointed when a document from the U.S. government referenced security methods that could conflict with the adopted codes. But there's a new (and improved!) edition of the K-12 School Security Guide!
Decoded: FAQs on Fire Door Requirements for Health Care Facilities
I will be publishing several sets of frequently asked questions this year, with more detailed supporting articles on each topic. If you have a FAQ that you'd like to add to the list, leave it in the comment box and I will include it in a future article.
It’s not too late!
If you missed registering for any of the learning opportunities I mentioned last week, you can still access these informative sessions! Last week's presentations are available on-demand, and there are more scheduled for this week and next!
New Class: A Crash Course in Codes!
I was recently asked to create a class for locksmiths, installers, or others who are looking for a crash course on the most frequently-asked code questions related to door openings. And here it is! Share it with all who could benefit from this training!
WW: In the News
Several news stories left me wordless this past week...ANOTHER apartment fire in the Bronx with an open door, funding to cut the bottom of classroom doors (including fire doors) to increase ventilation, and parliament fire doors latched open.
WWYD? Opening Force
On behalf of an iDigHardware reader, I need help from someone with a really long memory or a better filing system than mine. Where did the limit of 30 pounds to set the door in motion and 15 pounds to open the door fully come from?
Learning Opps
There are some great learning opportunities coming up - a two-hour webinar on fire door assemblies from Door Safety, an Allegion Security in 30 session, and an ICC panel discussion on tornado awareness...which one(s) will you attend?
Bronx Apartment Fire Update
There are still details that have not been released regarding the January 9th fire in a Bronx apartment building. Why didn't the apartment door and the stairwell door close and help prevent the smoke from spreading?
FF: Self-Closing Fire Doors
After an I-Team investigation, a Bronx landlord repaired fire door problems in their apartment buildings, including doors to stairwells, trash rooms, and apartments that were not self-closing. Here is a follow-up story from News 4.
WW: Have you seen something like this before?
I received this photo of a fire door in a hotel stairwell from Gabriel Montoya of Jansen Ornamental Supply. You might be thinking to yourself, "This doesn't leave me wordless...I see stuff like this all the time!" That's the point.
Decoded: The importance of fire doors in residential occupancies
A recent fire in a Bronx apartment building is yet another reminder of the importance of code-compliant fire door assemblies and the need for enforcement of the fire door inspections mandated by current codes and standards.
FF: A fire door test firsthand
As I'm working on some educational materials about fire doors for people who are not familiar with code requirements or with doors and hardware, I'm realizing that most people don't know how fire door assemblies are tested.
Bronx Fire: Yes, this is a teachable moment.
When it comes to fire doors, we should not rely only on the mantra, “Close the Door, Close the Door, Close the Door.” Every fire door assembly should be inspected annually – as required by current codes – and deficiencies repaired without delay.
WW: Another Apartment Fire – Another Outcome
In light of last weekend's fire in the Bronx, I am reviving this 5-year-old post. It won't be wordless, but it's an amazing illustration of the protection provided by fire doors that are closed and latched during a fire.
Bronx Fire: More Details Released
The investigation continues into last Sunday's fire in a Bronx apartment building, and the cause of the fire has been identified as a space heater. This post includes some of the latest information regarding the effects of open doors during the fire.
Residents in a panic do not close doors. Door closers close doors.
Yesterday I received dozens of emails and messages about the Bronx apartment fire that caused at least 17 fatalities. As with past fires, the NYFD Commissioner highlighted the open apartment door during his press conference.
FF: This door may save your life.
I've come across thousands of code issues in the last 35 years, and I have seen people throw up their hands and admit defeat. This makes it even more exciting when someone DOESN'T give up, and keeps educating people about what the codes require and why.
Code Update: Signage on Fire Doors
The 2022 edition of NFPA 80 includes some important changes related to the size and attachment methods for signage on fire doors. Can you spot what's new in the updated standard?
Holiday Countdown…2!
My kids are getting excited to see what Santa has left under the tree, even though they are now 20, 17, and 15. This photo was taken with Santa at Pasek Corp., way back in 2011. I sure do miss my old pal. :(
Holiday Countdown…3!
Next up in the countdown...it's Wordless Wednesday! I know that many of you LOVE the Wordless Wednesday posts, which I have been publishing weekly since January 25th, 2011. Time flies when you're having fun!
Holiday Countdown…4!
This week I'm counting down the days until my holiday break - yesterday I wrote about the ACE Network, which is a fantastic resource! Today I want to make sure you all know where to find my Decoded articles, which address specific code-related topics in detail.
Holiday Countdown…5!
It's that time of year again, when I finish up my last big projects (like my new class: Crash Course in Codes!), look back on what I accomplished, and get ready to start fresh after the holidays.